Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring unwanted thoughts -- obsessions -- and/or repetitive behaviors --compulsions. Obsessive thoughts often lead to repetitive and ritualistic behaviors, such as repeatedly washing your hands due to an unreasonable fear of germs. Inositol is a sugar alcohol similar to glucose. A person consumes about 1g of inositol from their daily diet on average. It has been considered a remedy for maladies such as mild depression in European folk wisdom. Inositol treatment has not been shown to worsen symptoms of OCD.
Recognizing OCD
With OCD, you may realize that your obsessive thoughts are unreasonable and try to ignore them. However, this leads to increased anxiety, and ultimately drives you to commit compulsive behaviors in an effort to relieve the stressful feelings. If you suspect you have OCD, talk to your physician or a mental health professional.
Traditional Treatments
In the mid-1980s, medical researchers discovered that a class of drugs known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, seemed to be effective at treating symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Some drugs now commonly used to treat OCD, either by themselves or in combination with other psychiatric medications, include Prozac and Zoloft.
Inositol Treatment
A study published in the "American Journal of Psychiatry" showed that inositol treatment is effective at treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. A dose of 18 mg daily was effective at relieving the anxiety associated with the disorder in patients taking inositol versus a placebo. However, this and an additional study published in the "International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology" suggest that inositol is not effective in patients who are already being treated with SSRIs.
Combination Treatment
Scientists use the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety scales to assess symptoms of patients who have OCD. A study published in the "International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology" showed that patients receiving simultaneous treatment with SSRIs and inositol did not exhibit a significant decrease in symptoms as opposed to patients receiving SSRI treatment alone. This suggests that inositol treatment is not effective at augmenting OCD treatment with SSRIs.
References
- National Institute of Mental Health: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- MayoClinic.com: Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
- "Depression and Anxiety"; Natural Remedies for Anxiety Disorders: Potential Use and Clinical Applications; Gustavo Kinrys, Eliza Coleman and Ethan Rothstein; January 2009
- "Essential Psychopharmacology (Second Edition)"; Stephen M. Stahl; 2002
- "American Journal of Psychiatry"; Inositol Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; M. Fux, et al.; May 1997
- "International Journal of Neuropsychopaharmacology"; Inositol Versus Placebo Augmentation of Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Double-Blind Cross-Over Study; M. Fux, et al.; September 2000
